Day 125
Start: Route 55
End: Dover Oak
Miles Hiked: 5.2
Miles on AT: 1452.0
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Today was the day. Could I continue on the trail or would I be forced off? Only time would tell, but first, I needed to get a massage.
The day before I had booked a morning massage with a local masseuse, so at 9 am I arrived at the studio, ready for my appointment. And let me tell you, that was one of the best massages I’ve had in my life. My masseuse really hit the sore muscles that have been overworked and made them much more relaxed. I was so relaxed that I nearly fell asleep on the table.
After getting back to my hotel room and getting ready to hit the trail, I grabbed a sandwich to-go from the deli, called a cab, and soon found myself at the AT.
To start, I kept my pace slow and easy. It was difficult to walk at a pace more fit for a stroll in the park than a thru hike, but I needed to stress my body as little as possible.
After about a mile or so, though, I felt the familiar needle sensations starting up. They weren’t bad yet, but I knew that they would only get worse with more hiking. 3 miles in, I decided to call it. I would have to take time off trail to heal.
I called my mom, letting her know that I had come up with a plan to get off trail. I was going to travel to my aunt’s house in NJ and rest there for a week or so and then see how I felt. I could take the train into NYC from Pawling and then head to NJ from there.
I hated to get off trail, but luckily my previous pace allowed me to gain ground and time flexibility into my thru hike. Even if I took 2 weeks off, I would still be able to reach Katahdin by October 15th hiking 15 miles a day on average. Also, I was lucky to be in a town from which I could easily get to my family. I hated to get off trail, but the circumstances were pretty good, all things considered.
After I made arrangements with both of my aunts, I hiked the final couple miles to the road. Standing there was the Dover Oak, the largest oak tree on the AT. I remembered when Janitor had met me on trail to go see the largest oak tree in the south on the AT. Then, he had brought me a peach and candy, but now, my situation wasn’t so sweet. I took a picture to send to him, knowing it would make him smile anyway.
I caught a hitch into town and headed back to the hotel. The trip to NJ would be almost 4 hours long since I had to go through NYC, so I figured it would be best to leave in the morning rather than arrive after dark.
I spent the rest of the day as I had the previous one, trying to rest as much as possible. It was something I would have to get used to.
And that’s day 125.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.